Missions Giving at Antioch Baptist Church

Content Author:

Reagan, David

The Missions Program at Antioch Baptist Church is a worldwide outreach based on faith and prayer. As the Lord leads, the pastor invites missionaries to come and present their field and work to the church. Missionaries we already support will always be given priority even on a short notice. The pastor and his wife often have a meal with the prospective missionary in order to get to know him and his family better. If God leads and the money is available, the pastor will recommend the missionary so the church can vote on whether or not to begin support.

The missionaries are supported by Antioch Baptist Church out of the Missions Account. This is a special fund set aside exclusively for the support of missionaries. All money given to the Missions Account goes to missionaries and missionary work. Even the stamps and envelopes used to send the money comes out of the Regular Account, not the Missions Account. Also, love offerings given to visiting missionaries come out of the Regular Account. The Missions Account is reserved for the regular support of missionaries (and sometimes for special missions projects).

You give to missions by putting special offerings in the Missions Envelopes. This is the only way you give money directly to missions. Every dollar placed in these envelopes will be divided among the missionaries we support. You are encouraged to pray and seek God's will as to how much you should give to the Missions Program.

If you are already giving, occasionally take time to pray and ask God if you should increase the amount of your giving and, if so, by how much. No pledges have ever been taken at Antioch Baptist Church. We want this to be between you and God. However, we suggest that you personally commit to some form of regular gift to missions. It may be a certain amount each week or each month. This helps us to send consistent support to the missionaries who are counting on us but it also becomes a great source of blessing to the giver.

Each month, the church bookkeeper writes the checks for each missionary and sends them out. As finances are available, we either look for new missionaries to support or look at increasing the amount we give our present missionaries. It is the policy of the pastor not to allow money to pile up in the Missions Account while the need is so great. Your missions money quickly goes to work in the outreach of the gospel.

Missionary Expenses

Why do missionaries have to raise so much support? Why do they not just get a job in the country to which they are going and live on special offerings? Those are good questions and involve some things that most people have not considered. Missionaries normally do not work a job in their country of destination. For one thing, most governments around the world do not allow this. They want the jobs for their own people. For another thing, the jobs would not pay enough in most countries to support an American family. Finally, the work of a missionary is greater in many ways than that of a worker in the States. They must have time to learn the language and even daily living takes much more time and energy than it does in America.

But missionaries also incur many expenses that the average person does not have. While in the States, they will normally travel thousands of miles to get to the churches. Gas and repair bills are much more expensive for them. And, while some churches take very good care of the missionaries, at other churches and in between churches they must pay for their own motel bills and meals. Some churches give little or no love offering and the missionary struggles to make it to the next church.

Missionaries have many other expenses as well. They must pay for the design and printing of their prayer cards, for their display and whatever they use for their presentation. They must take care of printing and mailing all those letters to churches and supporters. They also have travel expenses to and from the field. They will have the expense of immunizations and any medicines they need on the field. They often have additional medical expenses partly caused by the physical hardships of their field.

While on the field, they have the expense of language training, the printing and shipping of the literature they use to reach the people and many other things. After they begin to reach souls and need a place to meet, the rent will initially be paid out of their support. They normally need some form of transportation. And, many basic items like gas, food, rent, etc. are much more expensive in other countries. Of course, each country is different, but you might be surprised at the cost of basic items in many places.

When a missionary raises support, all of these things and more have to be taken into account. When we send a missionary to another land, we are not simply paying a salary. We are establishing a missionary station in another part of the world. We are putting an outreach base in a place with a need for the gospel. What a wondrous opportunity! When you give to missions at Antioch Baptist Church, you are having a part in spreading the truth of God's word to dozens of different places around the globe. We pray you will have a part in this wonderful chance to serve by giving.

It All Adds Up!

Most people do not think that their giving will make much difference. They are financially stressed and do not think that they have any to spare. But you must understand that even small amounts add up. I challenge people to begin with a dollar a week if they cannot do more. As God increases your faith, you will be able to increase this to greater amounts. God has promised to bless those who give and many people have been blessed as a result of giving to missions.

Consider the chart below. It shows how giving a certain amount each week adds up more than you might think. It also shows how many missionaries you are helping us to take on by your giving. Although there are exceptions, we generally try to support a missionary for $50 a month, which adds up to $600 a year. At this amount, the following chart shows how many missionaries your giving allows us to support. Will you help us in this work?